Monthnotes - March 2023

Looking back at the time since my last monthnotes, it feels like it’s been a pretty work-centric month as the season turns and spring is marked by the arrival of lambs in the field next to our house.

Things have definitely stepped up a gear and I’ve been busier than I planned to be when I went independent. I’m well ahead of where I planned to be in terms of billable utilisation at this stage, so that’ll give me some flexibility in the summer if I want to take some time out.

Starting with a new fractional client has meant a pretty intense period of onboarding, getting to know a new team and a new business at pace. It’s been really interesting to get stuck in and has definitely provided me with some pointers about how I want to develop a longer term fractional and consultancy client base in my work.

I also enjoyed running a face to face workshop with the crew at?We Create Popular ?mid-month. I’m delivering the?2Y3X growth acceleration programme ?with them. It was a good reminder of the energy that comes with a full day working in the same room. And it was great to see how much progress they’ve made with their business since our February workshop.

As a creative bunch they kindly gave me a challenge to show off their new merch over the month until I see them next. Ever one for a challenge, I’ve embarked on a kind of “photo a day” project to show a new hoody on my travels. The photos some days are more interesting than others but I’ve stuck to the cadence so far – day 9 of 31.

I also met recently with?Divinia Knowles ?who founded the?COO Roundtable ?– a selective networking group for chief operating officers. We had a great conversation about all things COO and I was really pleased to join the roundtable this month. I’m looking forward to attending their events and meeting fellow COO members from different backgrounds and businesses.

I’ve seen a lot of interest this month in the latest iteration of my?fractional COO proposition , which is encouraging as I’ve evolved it a lot in response to feedback since going solo in January. Fractional work is definitely a growth area and I’m starting to see what types of company could benefit most from a fractional COO with my experience.

It was also great to sign up a new coaching client last week too. I’m looking forward to kicking off our work together in April.

At home my younger son has been focussing on his GCSE revision in between football training and matches. This evening we’re off as a family to Heathrow to pick up our elder son – he’s been away on his gap year travels since early January. We’re really looking forward to seeing him and hearing about his adventures.

Music this month…

Been loving Clockwork Orange on Soundcloud this month. This?2022 set from Toolroom founder Mark Knight ?is a belter. And I’m a sucker for an old school MC too.

Podcasts this month…

Been hunting out some new podcasts this month. As a consultant who spends most of their time helping businesses grow, I’ve been exploring the relationship between economic growth and sustainability. I stumbled across the?Capitalisn’t podcast ?which I found interesting and a bit more balanced and curious than some of the more evangelically anti-growth content I’ve read and heard recently.

Reading this month…

Really liked?Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist ?by Kate Raworth. I studied economics at school and so it was really interesting to see the theory I learnt 30 years ago dissected against the backdrop of modern day thinking. Lots of food for thought about the role and purpose of business in the era of doughnut economics thinking.

Running this month…

43.1 miles.

Cycling this month…

165.4 miles.